It doesn't make sense to delay the inevitable surgery until the offseason when an injured Martin can't help turn around an 0-8 season. Once the coaching staff had a long look at Mike James' impressive Week 9 game film, it became an easier decision to end Martin's season.

As fantasy football leaguers surely know, Martin's second season was a massive letdown. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and largely was a non-factor in the passing game after racking up nearly 500 receiving yards as a rookie.

The front office's priority is getting one of its offensive building blocks fully healthy and back to rookie-season form in time for 2014. In the meantime, James will audition for a larger backfield role in the future.